Bendable display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus with a plurality of display pixel sections includes glass substrate, which are formed to have a thickness that permits bending of the display apparatus, and polarizer plates, which are disposed on the glass substrates, respectively. The polarizer plates are thicker than the glass substrates.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/807,186filed on Mar. 24, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,148,944, which is acontinuation of PCT/JP03/06071 filed May 15, 2003, all of which claimpriority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-134349 filed May 13,2003, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-143814 filed May 17, 2002,Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-143813 filed May 17, 2002, JapanesePatent Application No. 2002-143812 filed May 17, 2002. Each of thesecross-referenced applications are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a display apparatus and a manufacturingmethod thereof, and, more particularly, to a structure of a displayapparatus that can achieve reduction in thickness.

2. Description of the Related Art

Flat panel display apparatuses represented by a liquid crystal displayapparatus are applied to various fields, taking advantage of suchfeatures as light weight, thin shape and low power consumption. Inparticular, a liquid crystal display apparatus is widely applied tomobile information apparatuses represented by personal computers.

In recent years, there is a demand for further reduction in thickness ofthe liquid crystal display apparatus. To meet the demand, there is anidea that a thin glass substrate is used. However, fabrication with useof a glass substrate that has a thickness of less than 0.5 mm may leadto a decrease in manufacturing yield, since conveyance, etc. thereof isdifficult because of a problem of bending due to its own weight. Adisplay apparatus formed with such a substrate may easily suffer crackor chip at its end part due to weak shock, and moreover the entirety ofthe apparatus may be broken. There is an alternative idea that a resinfilm, for instance, is used in place of the glass substrate. This,however, is not practical since constraints such as film formationtemperatures are imposed.

On the other hand, a manufacturing method has been proposed, wherein theouter surface of one of substrates that are components of the liquidcrystal apparatus is thinned by etching (see, e.g. Japanese Patent No.2678325). According to this manufacturing method, one of the substratesis thinned to about 0.1 to 0.2 mm by etching, while the other substrateis about 0.3 to 1.1 mm thick and has a high strength as the substrate.Moreover, a sufficient strength of the liquid crystal display apparatusis achieved.

The liquid crystal display apparatus fabricated by this manufacturingmethod, however, still fails to realize the reduction in thickness andweight that is required in the market. With this manufacturing method,it is not possible to manufacture a liquid crystal display apparatusthat is flexible while maintaining display performance.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in order to solve the aboveproblems, and its object is to provide a display apparatus and amanufacturing method thereof, which can achieve further reduction inthickness while maintaining display performance. In addition, the objectof the invention is to provide a display apparatus and a manufacturingmethod thereof, which can achieve further reduction in thickness whilehaving high durability.

In order to solve the problem and achieve the object, a first aspect ofthe invention provides a display apparatus having an optical materialbetween a pair of substrates, and having a plurality of display pixelsections,

wherein each of the substrates has a glass substrate and a film that isattached to an outer surface of the glass substrate and has a thicknessgreater than a thickness of the glass substrate,

at least one of the films is formed of a polarizer plate, and

each of the glass substrate is formed to have a thickness that permitsbending of the display apparatus.

A second aspect of the invention provides a display apparatus having aplurality of display pixel sections on one of major surfaces of asubstrate,

wherein the substrate has a glass substrate and a polarizer plate thatis disposed to extend to an end part of the glass substrate on the othermajor surface of the substrate, and has a thickness greater than athickness of the glass substrate, and

the glass substrate is formed to have a thickness that permits bendingof the display apparatus.

A third aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing adisplay apparatus having an optical material between a pair of glasssubstrates comprising:

(a) a step of attaching the pair of glass substrates together with apredetermined distance;

(b) polishing an outer surface of each of the glass substrates to athickness of 0.15 mm or less;

(c) attaching a film to the outer surface of at least one of the glasssubstrates, the film having a thickness greater than a thickness of theglass substrate; and

(d) cutting the film and the pair of glass substrates into apredetermined size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a liquid crystal displayapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of thestructure of a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel that isapplicable to a liquid crystal display apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of thestructure of a light-reflection type liquid crystal panel that isapplicable to a liquid crystal display apparatus according to a secondembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a manufacturing method of a liquidcrystal display panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a manufacturing method of a liquidcrystal display panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C are views illustrating the manufacturing method ofthe liquid crystal display panel according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C are views illustrating the manufacturing method ofthe liquid crystal display panel according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are views illustrating the manufacturing method ofthe liquid crystal display panel according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of thestructure of a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel that isapplicable to a liquid crystal display apparatus according to a thirdembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example ofthe structure of a light-reflection type liquid crystal panel that isapplicable to a liquid crystal display apparatus according to a fourthembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of atouch panel that is mountable on the liquid crystal display apparatusesaccording to the third and fourth embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of thestructure of the touch panel shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining a touch operation on the touch panelshown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 shows an equivalent circuit associated with the touch operationon the touch panel shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example ofthe structure of a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel that isapplicable to a liquid crystal display apparatus according to a fifthembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a view schematically showing the structure of an organic ELdisplay apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a first exampleof the structure of an organic EL display apparatus according to a sixthembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a second exampleof the structure of the organic EL display apparatus according to thesixth embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a third exampleof the structure of the organic EL display apparatus according to thesixth embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Display apparatuses according to embodiments of the present inventionwill now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a display apparatus according to afirst embodiment, that is, a liquid crystal display apparatus 1,comprises a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, a drivecircuit board 500 that supplies drive signals to the liquid crystalpanel 100, and a backlight unit 800 that illuminates the liquid crystalpanel 100 from its back side. The liquid crystal panel 100 and drivecircuit board 500 are electrically connected by a flexible wiring board950. The flexible wiring board 950 is electrically connected to theliquid crystal panel 100 and drive circuit board 500 by, e.g. ananisotropic conductive film (ACF) 951.

The liquid crystal panel 100 has an effective display region 102 with adiagonal size of 12.1 inches. The effective display region 102 includesa plurality of display pixel sections PX arranged in a matrix. Theliquid crystal panel 100 includes an array substrate 200, a countersubstrate 400, and a liquid crystal layer 410 that is held between thearray substrate 200 and counter substrate 400, with alignment films 219and 405 interposed, respectively. This liquid crystal panel 100 suitablyadopts a display mode in which display is not greatly affected by avariation in cell gap, for example, a twisted nematic (TN) display modeor an IPS (In Plane Switching) display mode. This embodiment adopts a TNdisplay mode in which liquid crystal molecules provided betweensubstrates are aligned with 90° twist.

In order to achieve further reduction in thickness, the array substrate200 includes a light-transmissive insulation substrate 201 that isformed of glass with a thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mmor less (with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the first embodiment). Theinsulation substrate 201 includes, on one of its major surfaces (i.e.front surface), a plurality of signal lines X and a plurality of scanlines Y arranged in a matrix, switch elements 211 disposed nearintersections of the signal lines X and scan lines Y, and pixelelectrodes 213 connected to the switch elements 211.

The switch element 211 comprises a thin film transistor (TFT). Theswitch element 211 includes a polysilicon (p-Si) film as an activelayer. The p-Si film includes a channel region 212 c, and a sourceregion 212 s and a drain region 212 d that sandwich the channel region212 c.

A gate electrode 215 of the switch element 211 is formed of, e.g. an MoW(molybdenum-tungsten) alloy film that is integral with the scan line Y,and it is connected to the scan line Y. The gate electrode 215 islocated just above the channel region 212 c of the p-Si film and isdisposed on a gate insulation film 214 that is formed of, e.g. a TEOS(tetra ethoxy silane) film.

A source electrode 216 s of the switch element 211 is formed of, e.g. anAlNd (aluminum-neogymium) alloy film. The source electrode 216 s isconnected to the source region 212 s of the p-Si film and to the pixelelectrode 213. A drain electrode 216 d of the switch element 211 isformed of, e.g. an AlNd (aluminum-neogymium) alloy film, which isintegral with the signal line X. The drain electrode 216 d is connectedto the drain region 212 d of the p-Si film and to the signal line X.

The switch element 211 with the above structure is covered with aninterlayer insulation film 217 that is formed of an oxide film such asSiO₂, or a nitride film such as SiNx. The interlayer insulation film 217is covered with a color filter layer CF that is formed of a color resistlayer, which is processed to have a predetermined pattern by aphoto-lithography process. In the first embodiment, the interlayerinsulation film 217 is formed of, e.g. silicon nitride. The color filterlayer CF is formed of a negative type color resist layer, which iscolored with, e.g. red, green or blue. Color filter layers with therespective colors are disposed on the associated display pixel sectionsPX of the corresponding colors.

The pixel electrode 213 is formed of a light-transmissive conductivematerial such as ITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide). Thepixel electrode 213 is disposed on the color filter layer CF. Thealignment film 219 is disposed over the entire effective display region102 so as to cover all pixel electrodes 213.

The counter substrate 400 includes a light-transmissive insulationsubstrate 401 that is formed of glass with a thickness of 0.15 mm orless, preferably 0.1 mm or less (with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the firstembodiment). The insulation substrate 401 includes, on one of its majorsurfaces (i.e. front surface), a counter electrode 403 that is disposedto face the pixel electrode 213. The counter electrode 403 is formed ofa light-transmissive conductive material such as ITO. The alignment film405 is disposed over the entire effective display region 102 so as tocover all counter electrodes 403.

A columnar spacer 104 for providing a predetermined gap between thearray substrate 200 and counter substrate 400 is disposed within theeffective display region 102. The columnar spacer 104 is fixed to one ofthe substrates. For example, the columnar spacer 104 is formed of ablack resin disposed on the array substrate 200, and is fixed to thearray substrate 200. A light-shield layer 250 is formed in a frame-likeshape on the outside of the effective display region 102. Thelight-shield layer 250 is formed of a resin having light-shieldingproperties. For example, the light-shield layer 250 is formed of thesame black resin as the columnar spacer 104. The array substrate 200 andcounter substrate 400 are attached to each other by a seal material 106,with a predetermined gap of, e.g. 4 μm, being maintained by the columnarspacer 104.

A drive circuit section 110 that is formed integral with the arraysubstrate 200 is disposed on a peripheral region of the effectivedisplay region 102. Specifically, the drive circuit section 110 includesa scan line drive circuit 251 and a signal line drive circuit 261. Thescan line drive circuit 251 is connected to one end of each scan line Yand supplies a scan pulse to an associated scan line Y. The signal linedrive circuit 261 is connected to one end of each signal line X andsupplies a video signal to an associated signal line X. The scan linedrive circuit 251 and signal line drive circuit 261, like the switchelement 211 within the effective display region 102, are formed ofthin-film transistors including polysilicon films.

The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a pair of polarizer plates 220 and407 that are arranged on an outer surface of the array substrate 200 andan outer surface of the counter substrate 400, respectively. Thedirections of polarization of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 are setin accordance with characteristics of the liquid crystal layer 410.Specifically, the polarizer plate 220 is attached to the other majorsurface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 201 of arraysubstrate 200 by an adhesive 221. The polarizer plate 407 is attached tothe other major surface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 401of counter substrate 400 by an adhesive 406.

The polarizer plates 220 and 407 are formed of a resin with flexibility.Specifically, the polarizer plates 220 and 407 are formed such that aresin layer in which iodine is aligned is interposed between TAC films.Each of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 is sufficiently extended to theend part of the insulation substrate. In other words, the polarizerplate 220 has a dimension that is equal to or greater than the dimensionof the array substrate 200, and the polarizer plate 407 has a dimensionthat is equal to or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate400. In the first embodiment, the end of the insulation substrate ismade to correspond to the end of the polarizer plate. Alternatively, theend of the polarizer plate may extend beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate so as to cover the corner of the insulation substrate. Each ofthe polarizer plates 220 and 407 is thicker than each of the insulationsubstrates 201 and 401, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

In order to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal panel 100, eachof the insulation substrates 201 and 401 is extremely thinned to, e.g.about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, the provision of the polarizer plates220 and 407 can reinforce the insulation substrates 201 and 401.Thereby, even if a bending stress is applied to the liquid crystal panel100, crack of the insulation substrate 201, 401 can be prevented, and aliquid crystal display apparatus with flexibility, which is not easilybroken, can be provided. In particular, since the polarizer plates arefully extended to the ends of the insulation substrates, the occurrenceof crack and chip in the insulation substrates can remarkably bereduced.

It was found that even where the liquid crystal panel 100 with theabove-described structure was bent with a radius of curvature of 200 mmor less, and further with a radius of curvature of 150 mm, no damageoccurred and the display quality was maintained.

A method of manufacturing the light-transmission type liquid crystalpanel in the liquid crystal display apparatus with the above-describedstructure will now be described.

As is shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a first glass substrate 10 and asecond glass substrate 12, each having a thickness of about 0.7 mm andformed of non-alkali glass, are prepared. In the manufacturing method tobe described below, bending of the substrates in a conveyance step, forinstance, is taken into account, and the glass substrates each with athickness of 0.7 mm are prepared. Alternatively, relatively thin glasssubstrates each with a thickness of, e.g. 0.5 mm may be employed toshorten the time for polishing the substrates in a subsequent step. Thefirst glass substrate 10 and second glass substrate 12 are formed in arectangular shape with such a size that four liquid crystal panels, forinstance, can be assigned.

A display device circuit section 14 including a switch element formed byusing a polysilicon film as an active layer, a pixel electrode, a colorfilter, etc. is formed in each of four display regions 15 provided onthe first glass substrate 10. For example, the polysilicon (p-Si) filmis formed in the following manner. To begin with, an amorphous (a-Si)film is formed by CVD, for instance. An excimer laser beam, for example,is applied to the a-Si film, thus causing crystal growth. Then,impurities, as desired, are doped. The doped impurities are activated atabout 600° C. Thus, a polysilicon film is formed. Since the glasssubstrate is used, a high-temperature process of 450° C. or more can beemployed. A connection electrode section 16 for wiring inside andoutside the liquid crystal panel is formed on the peripheral region ofeach display region 15. Further, the drive circuit section is formed onthe peripheral region.

Subsequently, a seal material 106 is coated in a frame-like shape aroundeach display region 15. Further, a dummy seal 107 is coated along anentire peripheral portion on the first glass substrate 10. The sealmaterial 106 and dummy seal 107 are formed of an adhesive such as athermosetting adhesive or a light (UV) curing adhesive. In this example,the seal material 106 and dummy seal 107 are applied by a dispenserusing, e.g. an epoxy adhesive. The connection electrode section 16extends to the outside of the seal material 106.

On the other hand, the counter electrode 403 of ITO, etc. are formed atfour areas on the second glass substrate 12, which correspond to thedisplay regions.

A predetermined amount of liquid crystal material 18 is dropped on eachregion surrounded by each seal material 106 on the first glass substrate10. Then, the first glass substrate 10 and second glass substrate 12 arepositioned such that each display region 15 on the first glass substrate10 faces the associated counter electrode 403 on the second glasssubstrate 12.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first glass substrate 10 and secondglass substrate 12 are pressed under a predetermined pressure indirections toward each other. Thus, the first glass substrate 10 andsecond glass substrate 12 are attached by the seal material 106 anddummy seal 107. Then, the seal material 106 and dummy seal 107 are curedand the first glass substrate 10 and second glass substrate 12 areattached to each other.

Then, the outer surfaces of the first glass substrate 10 and secondglass substrate 12 are polished and thinned. In this embodiment, asshown in FIG. 6B, the first glass substrate 10, on which the displaydevice circuit section 14 is provided, is first polished. The polishingwas carried out by chemical etching using a hydrofluoric-acid-basedetchant. While the first glass substrate 10 is being polished, thesecond glass substrate 12 is protected by a sheet having resistance tochemicals. The polishing may be carried out by mechanical polishing orchemical mechanical polishing (CMP).

The first glass substrate 10 is polished into a glass substrate 201 witha thickness of about 0.1 mm. In consideration of conditions such asflexibility, polishing precision, mechanical strength and internalstress in formation of display device circuits, it is desirable that thethickness of the glass substrate 201 be set at about 0.15 mm or less,and preferably 0.1 mm or less. If the glass substrate has a thicknessgreater than 0.15 mm, flexibility of the glass substrate against bendingwould be lost. On the other hand, if the glass substrate is extremelythinned, entrance of moisture cannot be prevented and the reliability ofthe liquid crystal panel will deteriorate. Therefore, it is desirablethat the thickness of the glass substrate 201 be about 0.01 mm or more.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6C, a reinforcement plate 240 that isabout 0.1 mm thick is attached to the outer surface of the polishedglass substrate 201 via an adhesive layer 241.

In the following step illustrated in FIG. 7A, the second glass substrate12 is polished and thinned by the same method as described above into aglass substrate 401 with a thickness of about 0.1 mm. Then, as shown inFIG. 7B, a reinforcement plate 205 that is about 0.1 mm thick isattached to the outer surface of the glass substrate 401 via an adhesivelayer 223.

The reinforcement plates 205 and 240 may be formed of, e.g. polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC),acrylic resin, reinforced plastic, or polyimide. In this embodiment, PESis used for the reinforcement plate 205.

As has been described above, the first glass substrate 10 and secondglass substrate 12 are thinned and reinforced by the reinforcementplates 240 and 205. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C, the glasssubstrates 201 and 401 and reinforcement plates 240 and 205 are cutalong at predetermined positions into four sections each forming aliquid crystal panel. The cutting is effected by means of, e.g. a laser,and the glass substrates and reinforcement plates are cut at the sametime. A CO₂ laser or a second- or fourth-order harmonic UV-YAG laser,for instance, may be used as the laser, thereby providing smooth cutfaces and preventing crack, etc. of the glass substrates. The cuttingmay be effected not by the laser, but by a mechanical cutting method.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8A, the reinforcement plate 240 andadhesive layer 241 that are attached to the glass substrate 201 of eachcut-out liquid crystal panel are removed by etching or the like. Inaddition, the reinforcement plate 205 and adhesive layer 223 that areattached to the glass substrate 401 are removed by etching or the like.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, a polarizer plate 220 with a thickness ofabout 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glass substrate 201via an adhesive 221. In addition, a polarizer plate 407 with a thicknessof about 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glass substrate401 via an adhesive 406.

Through the above-described steps, the light-transmission type liquidcrystal panel is completed.

In the above-described method of manufacturing the liquid crystal panel,the liquid crystal material is dropped onto one of the substrates thatare to be attached together, and thus the liquid crystal layer 410 isformed. Thereby, the manufacturing time can be decreased. Alternatively,after an empty liquid crystal cell is formed, and a liquid material mayvacuum-injected in the liquid crystal cell.

Specifically, necessary structural components are formed on the firstglass substrate 10 and second glass substrate 20 by the same steps asdescribed above. Then, the seal material 106 and dummy seal 107 arecoated and the first glass substrate 10 and second glass substrate 12are attached together. When the seal material 106 is coated, an inletfor injecting a liquid crystal material in a later step is formed.

Then, the outer surfaces of the first glass substrate 10 and secondglass substrate 12 are polished and thinned, and the reinforcementplates 240 and 205 are attached to the outer surfaces of the glasssubstrates 201 and 401 via adhesive layers 241 and 223. The glasssubstrates 201 and 401 and reinforcement plates 240 and 205 are cutalong at predetermined positions into four sections each forming aliquid crystal panel.

The reinforcement plate 240 and adhesive layer 241 that are attached tothe glass substrate 201 of each cut-out liquid crystal panel are removedby etching or the like. In addition, the reinforcement plate 205 andadhesive layer 223 that are attached to the glass substrate 401 areremoved by etching or the like.

Then, the polarizer plate 220 is attached to the outer surface of theglass substrate 201 via the adhesive 221. In addition, the polarizerplate 407 is attached to the outer surface of the glass substrate 401via the adhesive 406.

Following the above, a liquid crystal material is vacuum-injected ineach liquid crystal panel through the inlet. The inlet is then sealed byan ultraviolet-curing resin, etc.

The light-transmission type liquid crystal panel may be manufactured bythe above process steps.

The above-described manufacturing method relates to a so-calledmulti-panel formation method wherein a plurality of liquid crystalpanels are cut out from a large-sized substrate. Alternatively, a singleliquid crystal panel may be individually manufactured.

In the above-described manufacturing method, the reinforcement platesare attached to the outer surfaces of the polished substrates during themanufacturing process. However, the provision of the reinforcementplates is not always necessary. If such a stress as to damage thesubstrates is not applied during the manufacturing process, there is noneed to attach the reinforcement plates. This also eliminates the needto remove the reinforcement plates, and the manufacturing process ismade simpler.

In the step of attaching the reinforcement plates, the polarizer platesmay be attached in place of the reinforcement plates. This eliminatesthe later step of attaching the polarizer plates.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus 1 with the above-describedlight-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, light emitted from thebacklight unit 800 is made incident on the array substrate 200 of theliquid crystal panel 100 via the polarizer plate 220. The light incidenton the liquid crystal panel 100 is modulated by the liquid crystal layer410 that is controlled by an electric field produced between the pixelelectrode 213 and counter electrode 403. Thus, the modulated lightpasses selectively through the polarizer plate 407 of the countersubstrate 400 in units of a display pixel section PX. Thereby, a displayimage is formed.

According to the liquid crystal display apparatus of the firstembodiment, each of the insulation substrates that are structural partsof the array substrate and counter substrate can be extremely thinned.Thus, the reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal panel isachieved. Even in the case where each insulation substrate is extremelythinned, the provision of the polarizer plates that are thicker than theinsulation substrates can reinforce the insulation substrates. Thereby,it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus having sucha flexibility as to prevent damage due to bending.

Moreover, in this embodiment, parts of the drive circuit are integrallyformed on the array substrate. Thus, the number of locations forconnection to the external circuit can be reduced. In the case where thedrive circuit is not disposed, the number of locations for connection,which corresponds to the number of signal lines, e.g. 1024×3, arenecessary, whereas only 48 locations for connection are required in thisembodiment. In addition, in the prior art, the locations for connectionare set at least along two sides that are perpendicular to each other.In this embodiment, the 48 locations for connection are arranged alongonly a part of one side of the liquid crystal panel.

Hence, the area for connection of the flexible wiring board thatconnects the liquid crystal panel and drive circuit substrate can bereduced. Furthermore, even when the liquid crystal display apparatus isbent, peeling of the flexible wiring board or cutting of lines can beprevented.

The gap between the array substrate and counter substrate is provided bythe columnar spacer that is integral with the array substrate. Thus,even when the liquid crystal display apparatus is bent, displacement ofthe spacer is prevented and accordingly occurrence of defective displaydue to displacement of the spacer can be prevented. The columnar spacercan be disposed with a desired density according to a design value.Therefore, the gap does not greatly vary due to bending, and a uniformdisplay quality can be obtained.

In the first embodiment, the thickness of the polarizer plate is greaterthan the thickness of the glass substrate of the array substrate orcounter substrate. Hence, when the liquid crystal panel is bent, thepolarizer plate presses the glass substrate. This prevents the substratefrom bending in a direction opposite to the direction of bending of theliquid crystal panel and increasing the cell gap. Thus, the quality ofdisplay is not degraded.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses, which, for example, canbe used in a bent state.

Second Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a display apparatus according to asecond embodiment, that is, a liquid crystal display apparatus 1,comprises a reflection type liquid crystal panel 100, and a drivecircuit board 500 that supplies drive signals to the liquid crystalpanel 100. Depending on cases, a planar light source section serving asa front light may be disposed on the display surface side of thereflection type liquid crystal panel 100. The structural elements commonto those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by likereference numerals, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

The array substrate 200 and counter substrate 400 includelight-transmissive insulation substrates 201 and 401, each of which isformed of glass with a thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mmor less (with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the second embodiment).

The pixel electrode 213 is formed of a light-reflective conductivematerial such as aluminum. The pixel electrode (reflective electrode)213 is disposed on a resin layer 218. The pixel electrode 213 has randomfine projections and depressions on its surface, that is, the surfacethat faces the counter substrate 400.

Specifically, the resin layer 218 that is an underlayer of the pixelelectrode 213 is formed on the interlayer insulation film 217 that islaid over the TFT 211. The surface of the resin layer 218 has aconvexo-concave pattern. The pixel electrode 213 is disposed on theresin layer 218 so as to have projections and depressions correspondingto the convexo-concave pattern of the resin layer 218. Thus, light,which is made incident from the counter substrate 400 side, is scatteredand reflected, and the viewing angle is widened.

The counter substrate 400 has a color filter layer CF that is disposedon one of major surfaces (i.e. front surface) of the insulationsubstrate 401. The color filter layer CF is formed of, e.g. a colorresist layer, which is colored with, e.g. red, green or blue. Colorfilter layers with the respective colors are disposed on the associateddisplay pixel sections PX of the corresponding colors.

The counter electrode 403 is disposed on the color filter layer CF so asto face the pixel electrode 213. The counter electrode 403 is formed ofa light-transmissive conductive material such as ITO. The alignment film405 is disposed over the entire effective display region 102 so as tocover the entire counter electrode 403.

The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a polarizer plate 407 that isarranged on an outer surface of the counter substrate 400. The directionof polarization of the polarizer plate 407 is set in accordance withcharacteristics of the liquid crystal layer 410. Specifically, thepolarizer plate 407 is attached to the other major surface (backsurface) of the insulation substrate 401 of counter substrate 400 by anadhesive 406. The polarizer plate 407 is formed similarly with the firstembodiment.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a reinforcementplate 240 that is disposed on the outer surface of the array substrate200. Specifically, the reinforcement plate 240 is attached to the othermajor surface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 201 of thearray substrate 200 by means of an adhesive layer 241. The reinforcementplate 240 is formed of a resin such as polyether sulfone (PES).

The reinforcement plate 240 and polarizer plate 407 are formed of aresin with flexibility. Specifically, each of the reinforcement plate240 and polarizer plate 407 is sufficiently extended to the end part ofthe insulation substrate. In other words, the reinforcement plate 240has a dimension that is equal to or greater than the dimension of thearray substrate 200, and the polarizer plate 407 has a dimension that isequal to or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate 400.Each of the reinforcement plate 240 and polarizer plate 407 is thickerthan each of the insulation substrates 201 and 401, and it has athickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

In order to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal panel 100, eachof the insulation substrates 201 and 401 is extremely thinned to, e.g.about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, the provision of the reinforcementplate 240 and polarizer plate 407 can reinforce the insulationsubstrates 201 and 401. Thereby, even if a bending stress is applied tothe liquid crystal panel 100, crack of the insulation substrate 201, 401can be prevented, and a liquid crystal display apparatus withflexibility, which is not easily broken, can be provided. In particular,since the reinforcement plate and polarizer plate are fully extended tothe ends of the insulation substrates, the occurrence of crack and chipin the insulation substrates can remarkably be reduced.

The manufacturing method for the reflection type liquid crystal panelwith the above-described structure in the liquid crystal displayapparatus is basically the same as the manufacturing method for thelight-transmission type liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment.Where the reflection type liquid crystal panel is manufactured, thecolor filter layer is provided on the second glass substrate side, andthe pixel electrode that is provided on the first glass substrate sideis formed of a light-reflective conductive material.

In the step illustrated in FIG. 8A, there is no need to remove thereinforcement plate 240 attached to the glass substrate 201. Afterremoving only the reinforcement plate 205 and adhesive layer 223attached to the glass substrate 401, the polarizer plate 407 may beattached to the outer surface of the glass substrate 401 via theadhesive 406.

Needless to say, other methods as described in connection with the firstembodiment are applicable.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus 1 with the above-describedreflection type liquid crystal panel 100, light is made incident on theliquid crystal panel 100 via the polarizer plate 407 from the countersubstrate 400 side. The incident light is reflected by the pixelelectrode 213 toward the counter substrate 400. In this case, theincident light and reflective light is modulated by an electric fieldproduced between the pixel electrode 213 and counter electrode 403.Thus, the modulated light passes selectively through the polarizer plate407 in units of a display pixel section PX. Thereby, a display image isformed.

According to the liquid crystal display apparatus of the secondembodiment, each of the insulation substrates that are structural partsof the array substrate and counter substrate can be extremely thinned.Thus, the reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal panel isachieved. Even in the case where each insulation substrate is extremelythinned, the provision of the polarizer plate and reinforcement platethat are thicker than the insulation substrates can reinforce theinsulation substrates. Thereby, it is possible to provide a liquidcrystal display apparatus which can prevent damage due to bending, canlessen a variation in cell gap due to bending, and can have flexibilitywhile maintaining a good display quality.

Like the first embodiment, even where the liquid crystal displayapparatus is bent with a radius of curvature of 200 mm or less, andfurther with a radius of curvature of 150 mm, peeling of the flexiblewiring board or cutting of lines can be prevented. Moreover, even whenthe liquid crystal display apparatus is bent, displacement of the spaceris prevented and accordingly occurrence of defective display due todisplacement of the spacer can be prevented.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses.

Next, third and fourth embodiments of the present invention will now bedescribed. The third and fourth embodiments relate to structures ofdisplay apparatuses with touch panels.

In liquid crystal display apparatuses having touch panels mounted onlight-transmission type and reflection type liquid crystal panels, theflexibility of the liquid crystal panel is poorer than that of the touchpanel. If pressure acts on the touch panel and deforms it, localpressure also acts on the liquid crystal panel. As a result, a gaptherebetween becomes partly less than a desired value, which may lead todefective display and damage to glass substrates. It is necessary,therefore, to keep a sufficient gap between the liquid crystal panel andtouch panel so as to prevent their mutual contact. Consequently, theliquid crystal display apparatus that is formed as a module cannotsufficiently be thinned.

In the third and fourth embodiments, a description is given of thestructure of the display apparatus that can be reinforced by a touchpanel while flexibility is maintained.

Third Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, a display apparatus according to athird embodiment, that is, a liquid crystal display apparatus 1,comprises a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, a drivecircuit board 500 that supplies drive signals to the liquid crystalpanel 100, a backlight unit 800 that illuminates the liquid crystalpanel 100 from its back side, and a touch panel 1100. The liquid crystalpanel 100 and drive circuit board 500 are electrically connected by aflexible wiring board 950. The flexible wiring board 950 is electricallyconnected to the liquid crystal panel 100 and drive circuit board 500by, e.g. an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) 951.

As is shown in FIG. 11, the touch panel 1100 generates an input signalby sensing a contact position within a predetermined region 1101. Thetouch panel 1100 comprises a conductor layer 1103 that is disposed inthe predetermined region 1101, detection electrodes 1105A, 1105B, 1107Aand 1107B that are disposed on the four sides of the conductor layer1103 so as to surround it, and an input circuit 1109 that generates aninput signal based on a sense signal detected via these detectionelectrodes.

The conductor layer 1103 is formed of a light-transmissive conductivematerial such as ITO. The detection electrodes comprise X electrodes1105A and 1105B; and Y electrodes 1107A and 1107B. The X electrodes1105A and 1105B function as a pair of first detection electrodesdisposed on opposed two sides of the conductor layer 1103, that is, twosides extending in a horizontal direction X. The Y electrodes 1107A and1107B function as a pair of second detection electrodes disposed onopposed two sides of the conductor layer 1103, that is, two sidesextending in a vertical direction Y at right angles with the Xelectrodes 1105A and 1105B.

An example of the structure of the touch panel 1100 is described ingreater detail. The touch panel 1100 is mounted over the entire surfaceof the display panel. The touch panel 1100 senses the position ofdepression (or contact) on the touch panel surface by the user's fingeror a pen. This type of touch panel 1100 is an input means that is mostwidely used in mobile information terminals wherein keyboard input isdispensed with. By mounting the touch panel 1100 on a device such as anotebook personal computer, both keyboard input and touch panel inputcan be utilized and the functional capability is enhanced.

As is shown in FIG. 12, for example, the resistance-type touch panel1100 includes a first substrate 1111, a second substrate 1121, andspacers 1131 functioning as holding means for holding the firstsubstrate 1111 and second substrate 1121 with a predetermined distance.

The first substrate 1111 includes a transparent insulation substrate1113 of glass, plastic, etc. The transparent insulation substrate 1113has a conductor layer 1103A that is disposed on the surface thereof,which is opposed to the second substrate 1121, so as to define thepredetermined region 1101. The X electrodes 1105A and 1105B are disposedon opposed two sides of the conductor layer 1103A.

The second substrate 1121 includes a transparent insulation substrate1123 of glass, plastic, etc. The transparent insulation substrate 1123has a conductor layer 1103B that is disposed on the surface thereof,which is opposed to the first substrate 1111, so as to define thepredetermined region 1101. The Y electrodes 1107A and 1107B are disposedon opposed two sides of the conductor layer 1103B.

In the touch panel 1100 with the above structure, as shown in FIG. 13,the second substrate 1121 is recessed by depression of the upper side ofthe second substrate 1121 by means of, a pen. Consequently, theconductor layer 1103B disposed on the second substrate 1121 comes incontact with the conductor layer 1103A disposed on the first substrate1111, thus effecting electric short-circuit.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, a DC voltage E is applied to the Yelectrodes 1107A and 1107B of the second substrate 1121, and a potentialVp at a position, where short-circuit has occurred at the conductorlayer 1103A on the first substrate 1111, that is, at a position of thedepression by the pen, is detected. Thereby, a position in theX-direction is found.

Similarly, a DC voltage E is applied to the X electrodes 1105A and 1105Bof the first substrate 1111, and a potential Vp at a position, whereshort-circuit has occurred at the conductor layer 1103B on the secondsubstrate 1121, that is, at a position of the depression by the pen, isdetected. Thereby, a position in the Y-direction is found.

Needless to say, touch panels other than the above-describedresistance-type touch panel are applicable to the liquid crystal displayapparatus 1.

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, the liquid crystal panel 100 has aneffective display region 102 with a diagonal size of 12.1 inches. Theeffective display region 102 includes a plurality of display pixelsections PX arranged in a matrix. The liquid crystal panel 100 includesan array substrate 200, a counter electrode 400, and a liquid crystallayer 410 that is held between the array substrate 200 and countersubstrate 400, with alignment films interposed, respectively.

The array substrate 200 and counter substrate 400 are configuredsimilarly with the first embodiment. Specifically, in order to achievefurther reduction in thickness, the array substrate 200 includes alight-transmissive insulation substrate 201 that is formed of glass witha thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or less (with athickness of 0.1 mm in the third embodiment). The counter substrate 400includes a light-transmissive insulation substrate 401 that is formed ofglass with a thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or less(with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the third embodiment).

The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a pair of polarizer plates 220 and407 that are arranged on an outer surface of the array substrate 200 andan outer surface of the counter substrate 400, respectively. Thedirections of polarization of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 are setin accordance with characteristics of the liquid crystal layer 410.Specifically, the polarizer plate 220 is attached to the other majorsurface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 201 of arraysubstrate 200 by an adhesive 221. The polarizer plate 407 is attached tothe other major surface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 401of counter substrate 400 by an adhesive 406.

The polarizer plates 220 and 407 are formed of a resin with flexibility.Each of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 is sufficiently extended to theend part of the insulation substrate. In other words, the polarizerplate 220 has a dimension that is equal to or greater than the dimensionof the array substrate 200, and the polarizer plate 407 has a dimensionthat is equal to or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate400. In the third embodiment, the end of the insulation substrate ismade to correspond to the end of the polarizer plate. Alternatively, theend of the polarizer plate may extend beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate so as to cover the corner of the insulation substrate. If theend of the touch panel 1100 corresponds in position to the end of theinsulation substrate or extends beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate, the end of the polarizer plate may retreat from the end ofthe insulation substrate. Conversely, if the end of the polarizer platecorresponds in position to the end of the insulation substrate orextends beyond the end of the insulation substrate, the end of the touchpanel 1100 may retreat from the end of the insulation substrate. Inshort, if one of the polarizer plate attached to the insulationsubstrates and the touch panel corresponds in position to the end of theinsulation substrate or extends beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate, crack, chip or the like of the end part of the insulationsubstrate can fully be prevented.

Of the polarizer plates 220 and 407, at least the polarizer plate 220 onthe array substrate 200 side is thicker than the insulation substrate201 of the array substrate 200, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.Similarly, the polarizer plate 407 on the counter substrate 400 side maybe thicker than the insulation substrate 401 of the counter substrate400, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

The touch panel 1100 is provided on the polarizer plate 407 on thecounter substrate 400 side. Specifically, the touch panel 1100 (theinsulation substrate 1113 of the first substrate 1111 of touch panel1100 in the third embodiment) is attached to the polarizer plate 407 onthe counter substrate 400 side by means of an adhesive 1200. The touchpanel 1100 has such flexibility that it is recessed by depression bymeans of a pen, etc. The touch panel 1100 has a dimension that is equalto or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate 400. The touchpanel 1100 is fully extended to the end of the insulation substrate.

With the above-described structure, in order to reduce the thickness ofthe liquid crystal panel 100, each of the insulation substrates 201 and401 is extremely thinned to, e.g. about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, theprovision of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 and touch panel 1100 canreinforce the insulation substrates 201 and 401. Thereby, even if abending stress is applied to the liquid crystal panel 100, crack of theinsulation substrate 201, 401 can be prevented, and a liquid crystaldisplay apparatus with flexibility, which is not easily broken, can beprovided. In particular, since the polarizer plate and touch panel arefully extended to the ends of the insulation substrates, the occurrenceof crack and chip in the insulation substrates can remarkably bereduced.

In addition, since the liquid crystal panel is made flexible, whenpressure acts on the touch panel and the touch panel deforms, the liquidcrystal panel similarly deforms and breakage of the insulation substrateis prevented. Moreover, the columnar spacer is integrally formed on thearray substrate with a desired density. Thus, even when the liquidcrystal panel deforms, occurrence of partial display defect can beprevented. Therefore, there is no need to keep a gap between the liquidcrystal panel and touch panel, and the liquid crystal display apparatusthat is formed as a module can sufficiently be thinned.

In the third embodiment, the touch panel is attached to the polarizerplate. Alternatively, the touch panel may be disposed on the insulationsubstrate, and the polarizer plate may be attached to the touch panel.

The manufacturing method for the light-transmission type liquid crystalpanel with the above-described structure in the liquid crystal displayapparatus is basically the same as the manufacturing method for thelight-transmission type liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment. Inthe third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, a polarizer plate 220 with athickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glasssubstrate 201 via an adhesive 221, and a polarizer plate 407 with athickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glasssubstrate 401 via an adhesive 406. Thereafter, the insulation substrate1113 of the first substrate 1111 of the touch panel 1100 is attached tothe surface of the polarizer plate 407 via the adhesive 1200.

Needless to say, other methods as described in connection with the firstembodiment are applicable.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus 1 with the above-describedlight-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, light emitted from thebacklight unit 800 is made incident on the array substrate 200 of theliquid crystal panel 100 via the polarizer plate 220. The light incidenton the liquid crystal panel 100 is modulated by the liquid crystal layer410 that is controlled by an electric field produced between the pixelelectrode 213 and counter electrode 403. Thus, the modulated lightpasses selectively through the polarizer plate 407 of the countersubstrate 400 in units of a display pixel section PX. The light emergingfrom the polarizer plate 407 passes through the touch panel 1100, andthus a display image is formed.

According to the liquid crystal display apparatus of the thirdembodiment, each of the insulation substrates that are structural partsof the array substrate and counter substrate can be extremely thinned.Thus, the reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal panel isachieved. Since the touch panel and liquid crystal panel are attachedtogether, the liquid crystal display apparatus that is formed as amodule can be made thinner, compared to the case where a gap is providedbetween the touch panel and the liquid crystal panel.

Even in the case where each insulation substrate is extremely thinned,the provision of the polarizer plate and touch panel that are thickerthan the insulation substrates can reinforce the insulation substrates.Thereby, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display apparatuswhich has such flexibility as to prevent damage due to bending, and alsohas the touch panel.

Since the attachment of the touch panel can reinforce the insulationsubstrate, the polarizer plate provided on the touch panel sidesubstrate does not need to have a thickness necessary for reinforcingthe insulation substrate. Therefore, further reduction in thickness canbe achieved while high durability is provided.

Moreover, in this embodiment, parts of the drive circuit are integrallyformed on the array substrate. Thus, the number of locations forconnection to the external circuit can be reduced. In the case where thedrive circuit is not disposed, the number of locations for connection,which corresponds to the number of signal lines, e.g. 1024×3, arenecessary, whereas only 48 locations for connection are required in thisembodiment. In addition, in the prior art, the locations for connectionare set at least along two sides that are perpendicular to each other.In this embodiment, the 48 locations for connection are arranged alongonly a part of one side of the liquid crystal panel.

Hence, the area for connection of the flexible wiring board thatconnects the liquid crystal panel and drive circuit substrate can bereduced. Furthermore, even when the liquid crystal display apparatus isbent, peeling of the flexible wiring board or cutting of lines can beprevented.

The gap between the array substrate and counter substrate is provided bythe columnar spacer that is integral with the array substrate. Thus,even when the liquid crystal display apparatus is bent or the touchpanel is depressed, displacement of the spacer is prevented andaccordingly occurrence of defective display due to displacement of thespacer can be prevented. The columnar spacer can be disposed with adesired density according to a design value. Therefore, the gap does notgreatly vary due to bending, and a uniform display quality can beobtained.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses, which, for example, canbe used in a bent state.

Fourth Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, a display apparatus according to afourth embodiment, that is, a liquid crystal display apparatus 1,comprises a reflection type liquid crystal panel 100, a drive circuitboard 500 that supplies drive signals to the liquid crystal panel 100,and a touch panel 1100. Depending on cases, a planar light sourcesection serving as a front light may be disposed on the display surfaceside of the reflection type liquid crystal panel 100. The structuralelements common to those in the above-described third embodiment aredenoted by like reference numerals, and a detailed description thereofis omitted.

The array substrate 200 and counter substrate 400 are configuredsimilarly with the above-described third embodiment. Specifically, eachof the light-transmissive insulation substrates 201 and 401 of the arraysubstrate 200 and counter substrate 400 is formed of glass with athickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or less (with athickness of 0.1 mm in the fourth embodiment).

The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a polarizer plate 407 that isarranged on an outer surface of the counter substrate 400. The directionof polarization of the polarizer plate 407 is set in accordance withcharacteristics of the liquid crystal layer 410. Specifically, thepolarizer plate 407 is attached to the other major surface (backsurface) of the insulation substrate 401 of counter substrate 400 by anadhesive 406. The polarizer plate 407 is formed similarly with the thirdembodiment.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal panel 100 includes a reinforcementplate 240 that is disposed on the outer surface of the array substrate200. Specifically, the reinforcement plate 240 is attached to the othermajor surface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 201 of thearray substrate 200 by means of an adhesive layer 241. The reinforcementplate 240 is formed of a resin such as polyether sulfone (PES).

The reinforcement plate 240 and polarizer plate 407 are formed of aresin with flexibility. Specifically, each of the reinforcement plate240 and polarizer plate 407 is sufficiently extended to the end part ofthe insulation substrate. In other words, the reinforcement plate 240has a dimension that is equal to or greater than the dimension of thearray substrate 200, and the polarizer plate 407 has a dimension that isequal to or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate 400.Each of the reinforcement plate 240 and polarizer plate 407 is thickerthan each of the insulation substrates 201 and 401, and it has athickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

Like the third embodiment, the touch panel 1100 is provided on thepolarizer plate 407.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus with the above-describedstructure, in order to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal panel100, each of the insulation substrates 201 and 401 is extremely thinnedto, e.g. about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, the provision of thereinforcement plate 240, polarizer plate 407 and touch panel 1100 canreinforce the insulation substrates 201 and 401. Thereby, even if abending stress is applied to the liquid crystal panel 100 via the touchpanel 1100, crack of the insulation substrate 201, 401 can be prevented,and a liquid crystal display apparatus with flexibility, which is noteasily broken, can be provided. In particular, since the polarizer plateand touch panel are fully extended to the ends of the insulationsubstrates, the occurrence of crack and chip in the insulationsubstrates can remarkably be reduced.

In addition, since the liquid crystal panel is made flexible, whenpressure acts on the touch panel and the touch panel deforms, the liquidcrystal panel similarly deforms and breakage of the insulation substrateis prevented. Moreover, the columnar spacer is integrally formed on thearray substrate with a desired density. Thus, even when the liquidcrystal panel deforms, occurrence of partial display defect can beprevented. Therefore, there is no need to keep a gap between the liquidcrystal panel and touch panel, and the liquid crystal display apparatusthat is formed as a module can sufficiently be thinned.

In the fourth embodiment, the touch panel is attached to the polarizerplate. Alternatively, the touch panel may be disposed on the insulationsubstrate, and the polarizer plate may be attached to the touch panel.

The manufacturing method for the reflection type liquid crystal panelwith the above-described structure in the liquid crystal displayapparatus is basically the same as the manufacturing method of the thirdembodiment. In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, a polarizerplate 220 with a thickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outersurface of the glass substrate 201 via an adhesive 221, and a polarizerplate 407 with a thickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outersurface of the glass substrate 401 via an adhesive 406. Thereafter, theinsulation substrate 1113 of the first substrate 1111 of the touch panel1100 is attached to the surface of the polarizer plate 407 via theadhesive 1200.

Needless to say, other methods as described in connection with the firstembodiment are applicable.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus 1 with the above-describedreflection type liquid crystal panel 100, light passes through the touchpanel 1100 and is made incident on the liquid crystal panel 100 via thepolarizer plate 407 from the counter substrate 400 side. The incidentlight is reflected by the pixel electrode 213 toward the countersubstrate 400. In this case, the incident light and reflective light ismodulated by an electric field produced between the pixel electrode 213and counter electrode 403. Thus, the modulated light passes selectivelythrough the polarizer plate 407 in units of a display pixel section PX.The emerging from the polarizer plate 407 passes through the touch panel1100. Thereby, a display image is formed.

According to the liquid crystal display apparatus of the fourthembodiment, each of the insulation substrates that are structural partsof the array substrate and counter substrate can be extremely thinned.Thus, the reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal panel isachieved. Even in the case where each insulation substrate is extremelythinned, the provision of the polarizer plate, reinforcement plate andtouch panel can reinforce the insulation substrates. Thereby, it ispossible to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus which has suchflexibility as to prevent damage due to bending.

Like the third embodiment, even where the liquid crystal displayapparatus is bent, peeling of the flexible wiring board or cutting oflines can be prevented. Moreover, even when the liquid crystal displayapparatus is bent, displacement of the spacer is prevented andaccordingly occurrence of defective display due to displacement of thespacer can be prevented.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described.The fifth embodiment relates to a structure of a display apparatus thatis provided with a backlight unit.

A liquid crystal display apparatus including a light-transmission typeliquid crystal panel requires a backlight unit for illuminating theliquid crystal panel. The backlight unit is disposed on the back side ofthe liquid crystal panel. This makes it difficult to reduce thethickness of the modularized liquid crystal display apparatus.

In the fifth embodiment, a description is given of the structure of thedisplay apparatus that can be reinforced by a backlight unit whileflexibility is maintained.

Fifth Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 15, a display apparatus according to afifth embodiment, that is, a liquid crystal display apparatus 1,comprises a light-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, a drivecircuit board 500 that supplies drive signals to the liquid crystalpanel 100, and a backlight unit 800 that illuminates the liquid crystalpanel 100 from its back side. The liquid crystal panel 100 and drivecircuit board 500 are electrically connected by a flexible wiring board950. The flexible wiring board 950 is electrically connected to theliquid crystal panel 100 and drive circuit board 500 by, e.g. ananisotropic conductive film (ACF) 951.

The backlight unit 800 comprises a planar light source section 810, andat least one optical sheet 820 that imparts predetermined opticalcharacteristics to light that is emitted from the planar light sourcesection 810. The planar light source section 810 includes a light-guideplate having the same dimensions as the liquid crystal panel 100, atubular light source disposed at an end face of the light-guide plate,and a reflection plate that guides light emitted from the tubular lightsource to the end face of the light-guide plate. The optical sheet 820is composed of a prism sheet that converges light emitted from theplanar light source section 810, or a diffusion sheet that diffuses thelight.

The liquid crystal panel 100 has an effective display region 102 thatincludes a plurality of display pixel sections PX arranged in a matrix.The liquid crystal panel 100 includes an array substrate 200, a counterelectrode 400, and a liquid crystal layer 410 that is held between thearray substrate 200 and counter substrate 400, with alignment filmsinterposed, respectively.

The array substrate 200 and counter substrate 400 are configuredsimilarly with the first embodiment. Specifically, in order to achievefurther reduction in thickness, the array substrate 200 includes alight-transmissive insulation substrate 201 that is formed of glass witha thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or less (with athickness of 0.1 mm in the fifth embodiment). The counter substrate 400includes a light-transmissive insulation substrate 401 that is formed ofglass with a thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or less(with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the fifth embodiment).

The liquid crystal panel 100 includes a pair of polarizer plates 220 and407 that are arranged on an outer surface of the array substrate 200 andan outer surface of the counter substrate 400, respectively. Thedirections of polarization of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 are setin accordance with characteristics of the liquid crystal layer 410.Specifically, the polarizer plate 220 is attached to the other majorsurface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 201 of arraysubstrate 200 by an adhesive 221. The polarizer plate 407 is attached tothe other major surface (back surface) of the insulation substrate 401of counter substrate 400 by an adhesive 406.

The polarizer plates 220 and 407 are formed of a resin with flexibility.Each of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 is sufficiently extended to theend part of the insulation substrate. In other words, the polarizerplate 220 has a dimension that is equal to or greater than the dimensionof the array substrate 200, and the polarizer plate 407 has a dimensionthat is equal to or greater than the dimension of the counter substrate400. In the fifth embodiment, the end of the insulation substrate ismade to correspond to the end of the polarizer plate. Alternatively, theend of the polarizer plate may extend beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate so as to cover the corner of the insulation substrate. If theend of the backlight unit 800 corresponds in position to the end of theinsulation substrate or extends beyond the end of the insulationsubstrate, the end of the polarizer plate may retreat from the end ofthe insulation substrate. Conversely, if the end of the polarizer platecorresponds in position to the end of the insulation substrate orextends beyond the end of the insulation substrate, the backlight unit800, for example, the optical sheet 820, may retreat from the end of theinsulation substrate. In short, if one of the polarizer plate attachedto the insulation substrate and the backlight unit corresponds inposition to the end of the insulation substrate or extends beyond theend of the insulation substrate, crack, chip or the like of the end partof the insulation substrate can fully be prevented.

Of the polarizer plates 220 and 407, at least the polarizer plate 407 onthe counter substrate 400 side is thicker than the insulation substrate401 of the counter substrate 400, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3mm. Because of the relation with the thickness of the optical sheet tobe described later, if the total thickness is greater than the thicknessof the insulation substrate 401, a minimum reinforcement effect can beobtained. Similarly, the polarizer plate 220 on the array substrate 200side may be thicker than the insulation substrate 201 of the arraysubstrate 200, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

The backlight unit 800 is provided on the polarizer plate 220 on thearray substrate 200 side. Specifically, the backlight unit 800 (theoptical sheet 820 of the backlight unit 800 in the fifth embodiment) isattached to the polarizer plate 220 on the array substrate 200 side bymeans of an adhesive 821. The optical sheet 820 is formed of, e.g. D120(manufactured by TSUJIDEN) with a diffusion function. The optical sheet820 is formed of a flexible resin and has a dimension that is equal toor greater than the dimension of the array substrate 200. The opticalsheet 820 is fully extended to the end of the insulation substrate. Theoptical sheet 820 is thicker than the insulation substrate 201, and ithas a thickness of, e.g. 0.12 mm. In the case where the optical sheet820 with this thickness is attached to the polarizer plate 220, thepolarizer plate 220 is not necessarily required to have a thicknessgreater than the thickness of the insulation substrate 201, as mentionedabove.

With the above-described structure, in order to reduce the thickness ofthe liquid crystal panel 100, each of the insulation substrates 201 and401 is extremely thinned to, e.g. about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, theprovision of the polarizer plates 220 and 407 and backlight unit 800 (inparticular, the optical sheet 820) can reinforce the insulationsubstrates 201 and 401. Thereby, even if a bending stress is applied tothe liquid crystal panel 100, crack of the insulation substrate 201, 401can be prevented, and a liquid crystal display apparatus withflexibility, which is not easily broken, can be provided. In particular,since the polarizer plates and backlight unit are fully extended to theends of the insulation substrates, the occurrence of crack and chip inthe insulation substrates can remarkably be reduced.

Moreover, the columnar spacer is integrally formed on the arraysubstrate with a desired density. Thus, even when the liquid crystalpanel deforms, occurrence of partial display defect can be prevented.Therefore, there is no need to keep a gap between the liquid crystalpanel and backlight unit, and the liquid crystal display apparatus thatis modularized can sufficiently be thinned.

The manufacturing method for the light-transmission type liquid crystalpanel with the above-described structure in the liquid crystal displayapparatus is basically the same as the manufacturing method for thelight-transmission type liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment. Inthe fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, a polarizer plate 220 with athickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glasssubstrate 201 via an adhesive 221, and a polarizer plate 407 with athickness of about 0.3 mm is attached to the outer surface of the glasssubstrate 401 via an adhesive 406. Thereafter, the optical sheet 820 ofthe backlight unit 800 is attached to the surface of the polarizer plate220 via the adhesive 821.

Needless to say, other methods as described in connection with the firstembodiment are applicable.

In the liquid crystal display apparatus 1 with the above-describedlight-transmission type liquid crystal panel 100, light emitted from theplanar light source section 810 of backlight unit 800 is provided withpredetermined optical characteristics by the optical sheet 820. Thelight is then made incident on the array substrate 200 of the liquidcrystal panel 100 via the polarizer plate 220. The light incident on theliquid crystal panel 100 is modulated by the liquid crystal layer 410that is controlled by an electric field produced between the pixelelectrode 213 and counter electrode 403. Thus, the modulated lightpasses selectively through the polarizer plate 407 of the countersubstrate 400 in units of a display pixel section PX. Thus, a displayimage is formed.

According to the liquid crystal display apparatus of the fifthembodiment, each of the insulation substrates that are structural partsof the array substrate and counter substrate can be extremely thinned.Thus, the reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal panel isachieved. Since the backlight unit and liquid crystal panel are attachedtogether, the modularized liquid crystal display apparatus can be madethinner, compared to the case where a gap is provided between thebacklight unit and the liquid crystal panel.

Even in the case where each insulation substrate is extremely thinned,the provision of the polarizer plate and backlight unit (in particular,the optical sheet of the backlight unit) that are thicker than theinsulation substrates can reinforce the insulation substrates. Thereby,it is possible to provide a liquid crystal panel which has suchflexibility as to prevent damage due to bending.

Since the attachment of the backlight unit can reinforce the insulationsubstrate, the polarizer plate provided on the backlight unit sidesubstrate does not need to have a thickness necessary for reinforcingthe insulation substrate. Therefore, further reduction in thickness canbe achieved while high durability is provided.

Moreover, in this embodiment, parts of the drive circuit are integrallyformed on the array substrate. Thus, the number of locations forconnection to the external circuit can be reduced. In the case where thedrive circuit is not disposed, the number of locations for connection,which corresponds to the number of signal lines, e.g. 1024×3, arenecessary, whereas only 48 locations for connection are required in thisembodiment. In addition, in the prior art, the locations for connectionare set at least along two sides that are perpendicular to each other.In this embodiment, the 48 locations for connection are arranged alongonly a part of one side of the liquid crystal panel.

Hence, the area for connection of the flexible wiring board thatconnects the liquid crystal panel and drive circuit substrate can bereduced. Furthermore, even when the liquid crystal display apparatus isbent, peeling of the flexible wiring board or cutting of lines can beprevented.

The gap between the array substrate and counter substrate is provided bythe columnar spacer that is integral with the array substrate. Thus,even when the liquid crystal display apparatus is bent, displacement ofthe spacer is prevented and accordingly occurrence of defective displaydue to displacement of the spacer can be prevented. The columnar spacercan be disposed with a desired density according to a design value.Therefore, the gap does not greatly vary due to bending, and a uniformdisplay quality can be obtained.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses, which, for example, canbe used in a bent state.

In the fifth embodiment, the diffusion plate is attached as the opticalsheet 820 of the backlight unit 800, thereby to reinforce the insulationsubstrate 201. Alternatively, other various optical sheets such as aprism sheet or a selective-reflection plate may be attached. Inaddition, a plurality of optical sheets may be attached to theinsulation substrate 201, thereby to reinforce it. In this case, itshould suffice if the entire thickness of the optical sheet to beattached is greater than the thickness of the insulation substrate 201.In a case where a backlight unit that is configured to permit omissionof the optical sheet is applied, the planar light source section 810 maydirectly be attached to the polarizer plate 220 by the adhesive 821.With this structure, further reduction in thickness can be realized.

In the above-described embodiment, the polarizer plate 220 and opticalsheet 820 are successively attached to the insulation substrate 201.Alternatively, an optical sheet functioning also as a polarizer platemay directly be attached to the insulation substrate 201. In this case,it should suffice if the optical sheet has a thickness greater than thethickness of the insulation substrate 201.

In the first to fifth embodiments, the light-transmission type andreflection type liquid crystal display apparatuses have been describedas the display apparatus. Needless to say, the present invention isapplicable to a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display apparatuswherein each pixel section is provided with a light-transmissive sectionand a light-reflective section. This invention is also applicable to aself-light-emitting display apparatus with a self-light-emitting device,as another type of display apparatus. In a sixth embodiment to bedescribed below, an organic electroluminescent display apparatus (OELD),for instance, is employed as a self-light-emitting display apparatusthat is applicable to the present invention.

Sixth Embodiment

As is shown in FIG. 16 through FIG. 19, a display apparatus according toa sixth embodiment of the invention, that is, an OELD, comprises anarray substrate AS having an effective display region 102 that displaysan image, and a sealing body SB that seals at least the effectivedisplay region 102 of the array substrate AS. The effective displayregion 102 comprises a plurality of display pixel sections PX (R, G, B)arranged in a matrix.

Each display pixel section PX (R, G, B) includes a pixel switch SWhaving a function of electrically separating an on-state pixel and anoff-state pixel and holding a video signal in the on-state pixel; adrive transistor TR that supplies a desired drive current to a displaydevice on the basis of the video signal that is supplied via the pixelswitch SW; and a storage capacitor SC that stores a gate-sourcepotential of the drive transistor TR for a predetermined time period.The pixel switch SW and drive transistor TR are composed of, e.g.thin-film transistors, and include polysilicon (p-Si) films as activelayers. Each display pixel section PX (R, G, B) includes an organic ELdevice LD (R, G, B) as the display device. Specifically, a red pixel PXRincludes an organic EL device LDR that emits red light, a green pixelPXG includes an organic EL device LDG that emits green light, and a bluepixel PXB includes an organic EL device LDB that emits blue light.

Each organic EL device LD (R, G, B) is basically the same. The organicEL device LD comprises a first electrode FE that is formed in an insularshape in each of the display pixel sections PX arranged in a matrix; asecond electrode SE that is disposed to face the first electrode FE andformed commonly for all the display pixel sections PX; and an organicactive layer OA that is held between the first electrode FE and secondelectrode SE.

The array substrate AS includes a plurality of scan lines Y disposedalong the row direction (Y direction in FIG. 16) of the display pixelsections PX; a plurality of signal lines X disposed along a direction (Xdirection in FIG. 16) substantially perpendicular to the scan lines Y;and power supply lines P that supply power to the first electrode FE ofthe organic EL device LD.

The power supply lines P are connected to a first electrode power supplyline (not shown) that is disposed on a peripheral part of the effectivedisplay region 102. The second electrode SE of the organic EL device LDis connected to a second electrode power supply line (not shown) that isdisposed on a peripheral part of the effective display region 102 andsupplies a common potential, e.g. a ground potential in this embodiment.

The array substrate AS has a drive circuit section 110 on a peripheralpart of the effective display region 102, and the drive circuit section110 includes a scan line drive circuit 251 that supplies scan pulses tothe scan lines Y and a signal line drive circuit 261 that supplies videosignals to the signal lines X. All scan lines Y are connected to thescan line drive circuit 251, and all signal lines X are connected to thesignal line drive circuit 261.

The pixel switch SW is disposed near an intersection of the scan line Yand signal line X. The gate electrode of the pixel switch SW isconnected to the scan line Y, the source electrode thereof is connectedto the signal line X, and the drain electrode thereof is connected toone of the electrodes of the storage capacitor SC and to the gateelectrode of the drive transistor TR. The source electrode of the drivetransistor TR is connected to the other electrode of the storagecapacitor SC and to the power supply line P. The drain electrode of thedrive transistor TR is connected to the first electrode FE of theorganic EL device LD.

As is shown in FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, the array substrate AS includes theorganic EL device LD that is disposed on a wiring substrate 120. Thewiring substrate 120 is configured such that the pixel switch, drivetransistor TR, storage capacitor, scan line drive circuit, signal linedrive circuit, various wiring (e.g. scan line, signal line and powersupply line), gate insulation film 214, interlayer insulation film 217and resin layer 218 are provided on an insulation support substrate GSthat is formed of glass.

The first electrode FE included in the organic EL device LD is disposedon the insulation film provided on the surface of the wiring substrate120. The first electrode FE is formed of a light-transmissiveelectrically-conductive material such as ITO or IZO and functions as ananode.

The organic active layer OA includes an organic compound having at leasta light emission function. The organic active layer OA may have athree-layer stacked structure comprising a hole buffer layer commonlyformed for the respective colors, an electron buffer layer, and anorganic light-emission layer individually formed for each of the colors.Alternatively, the organic active layer OA may have a two-layerstructure or a single layer structure with integrated functions. Forexample, the hole buffer layer is interposed between the anode and theorganic light-emitting layer and is formed of a thin film of an aromaticamine derivative, a polythiophene derivative, polyaniline derivative,etc. The organic light-emitting layer is formed of an organic compoundthat has a light-emitting function of emitting red, green or blue light.When the organic light-emitting layer is formed by using, for instance,a high-polymer light-emitting material, it is formed of a thin film ofPPV (poly-para-phenylenevinylene), a polyfluorene derivative or aprecursor thereof, etc.

The second electrode SE is commonly provided on the organic active layerOA for the respective organic EL devices LD. The second electrode SE isformed of a metal film with an electron injection function, which isformed of, e.g. Ca (calcium), Al (aluminum), Ba (barium), Ag (silver),etc. The second electrode SE functions as a cathode.

The array substrate AS includes, on the effective display region 102,partition walls BH that isolate each display pixel section RX (R, G, B).The partition walls BH are arranged in a lattice fashion alongperipheral edges of the first electrode FE.

In the organic EL device LD with the above-described structure,electrons and holes are injected in the organic active layer OA that isinterposed between the first electrode FE and second electrode SE. Theelectron and hole are recombined to form an exciton, and light isproduced by photo-emission of a predetermined wavelength which occurswhen the exciton is deactivated. The EL light is emitted from the lowersurface side of the array substrate AS, that is, from the firstelectrode FE side. Thereby, a display image is formed.

The OELD includes the sealing body SB that is disposed so as to cover atleast the effective display region 102 of the major surface of thewiring substrate 120. In the first example of the structure shown inFIG. 17, the sealing body SB is a glass substrate. This glass substrateis attached to the array substrate AS by a seal material that is appliedso as to surround at least the effective display region 102. An inertgas such as nitrogen gas is filled in the closed space between theorganic EL device LD provided in the array substrate AS and the sealingbody SB.

In a second example of the structure shown in FIG. 18, the sealing bodySB has a multi-layer film structure wherein at least two thin films anda plurality of shield layers that shield these thin films from outsideair are stacked. Each thin film is formed of a resin material withmoisture-proof properties, such as an acrylic resin. Each shield layeris formed of a metal material such as aluminum or titanium, or a ceramicmaterial such as alumina.

In the OELD with the above-described structure, the glass substrate GSof the array substrate AS has a thickness of 0.15 mm or less, preferably0.1 mm or less (with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the sixth embodiment). Inthe first example of the structure shown in FIG. 17, the glass substrateof the sealing body SB also has a thickness of 0.15 mm or less,preferably 0.1 mm or less (with a thickness of 0.1 mm in the sixthembodiment). On the other hand, in the second example of the structureshown in FIG. 18, the multi-layer film of the sealing body SB has such athickness as to have flexibility, while maintaining sufficient sealingproperties.

In the OELD, a polarizer plate PL is provided on the outer surface ofthe glass substrate GS. The polarizer plate PL prevents the glasssubstrate GS from reflecting an undesired image for the observer side,such as an image of an external light source. Thus, overlapping betweena display image formed on the glass substrate GS and an undesired imagecan be prevented, and degradation in display quality can be suppressed.The polarizer plate PL, like each of the preceding embodiments, isformed of a flexible resin.

The polarizer plate PL is fully extended to the end part of the glasssubstrate GS. Specifically, the polarizer plate PL has an outsidedimension that is equal to or greater than the dimension of the glasssubstrate GS. The polarizer plate PL is thicker than the glass substrateGS, and it has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm. In the case of the firstexample of the structure shown in FIG. 17, it is preferable that areinforcement plate be provided on the outer surface of the sealing bodySB. The reinforcement plate, like the above-described embodiments, isformed of a flexible resin, and it is thicker than the sealing body SBand has a thickness of, e.g. 0.3 mm.

In order to reduce the thickness of the OELD, the glass substrate GS isextremely thinned to, e.g. about 0.1 mm. Even in this case, theprovision of the polarizer plate PL can reinforce the glass substrateGS. Depending on cases, a reinforcement plate may be provided toreinforce the sealing body SB. Thereby, even if a bending stress isapplied to the OELD, crack of the glass substrate GS can be prevented,and an organic EL display apparatus with flexibility, which is noteasily broken, can be provided. In particular, since the polarizer platePL is fully extended to the end of the glass substrate GS, theoccurrence of crack and chip in the glass substrate GS can remarkably bereduced.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a display apparatus with highreliability and applicability to various uses, which, for example, canbe used in a bent state.

In the above-described sixth embodiment, the first and second examplesof the structure are directed to so-called back-surface emission typeOELDs, which emit EL light from the lower surface side of the arraysubstrate AS. Alternatively, the sixth embodiment is applicable to aso-called front-surface emission type OELD, as in a third example of thestructure shown in FIG. 19. In this case, the first electrode FE isformed of a light-reflective material and the second electrode SE isformed of a light-transmissive material, whereby EL light is emittedfrom the front surface side of the array substrate AS. In the case ofthe front-surface emission type OELD, compared to the back-surfaceemission type OELD, the aperture ratio is increased and the luminance isenhanced. In this case, for example, a protection film PF, which alsoserves for flattening, is provided on the sealing body SB, and apolarizer plate PL is further provided thereon. On the back side of thearray substrate AS, a reinforcement plate RP is disposed in place of thepolarizer plate. This reinforcement plate RP is configured similarlywith the preceding embodiments.

As has been described above, each of the first to sixth embodiments ofthe invention provides a display apparatus having a plurality of displaypixel sections, wherein an optical material is sealed between a pair ofglass substrates. Each of the glass substrates has a film that isattached to the outer surface of the glass substrate and is thicker thanthe glass substrate. At least one of the films is formed of a polarizerplate. Each glass substrate is formed to have such a thickness as topermit bending of the display apparatus.

The display apparatus having a light-transmissive liquid crystal panel,as in the first embodiment (FIG. 2), third embodiment (FIG. 9) and fifthembodiment (FIG. 15), includes flexible polarizer plates disposed on thepaired glass substrates. The display apparatus having a light-reflectiveliquid crystal panel, as in the second embodiment (FIG. 3) and fourthembodiment (FIG. 10), includes one film, which is the polarizer plate,and the other film, which is the flexible reinforcement plate. Thedisplay apparatus composed of the OELD, as in the first example (FIG.17) and second example (FIG. 18) of the structure of the sixthembodiment, includes films, one of which is the polarizer plate.Thereby, flexible display apparatuses with small thickness and highdurability can be provided.

The thickness of each of the glass substrates is set at 0.15 mm or less,and preferably 0.1 mm or less. Thereby, the fabricated display apparatuscan be made flexible. With the provision of glass substrates each havingsuch a thickness, the display apparatus can be bent with a radius ofcurvature of 200 mm or less.

In each of the display apparatuses of the first to fifth embodiments, aliquid crystal composition is employed as an optical material, and aliquid crystal layer formed of the liquid crystal composition is heldbetween the paired substrates. The display apparatus of the sixthembodiment includes an EL material as an optical material, which formsthe organic active layer.

Each of the first to sixth embodiments of the invention provides adisplay apparatus having a plurality of display pixel sections disposedon one of major surfaces (i.e. front surface) of a glass substrate. Theglass substrate has a polarizer plate that is extended to the end of theglass substrate on the other major surface (i.e. back surface) of theglass substrate and is thicker than the glass substrate. The glasssubstrate is configured to have such a thickness as to permit bending ofthe display apparatus.

It is imperative that the thickness of the polarizer plate be greaterthan the thickness of the glass substrate. However, it is desirable thatthe thickness of the polarizer plate be limited to such a value as toensure reduction in thickness of the display apparatus. For example,this thickness is set at 0.5 mm or less.

The display apparatus according to each of the above-describedembodiments, which has a plurality of display pixel sections that areformed by sealing an optical material between a pair of glasssubstrates, is manufactured by the following steps: (a) a step ofattaching the pair of glass substrates together with a predetermineddistance; (b) polishing an outer surface of each of the glass substratesto a thickness of 0.15 mm or less; (c) attaching a film to the outersurface of at least one of the glass substrates, the film having athickness greater than a thickness of the glass substrate; and (d)cutting the film and the pair of glass substrates into a predeterminedsize.

Specifically, as described in connection with the first embodiment, thestep (a) of attaching the glass substrates together is as illustrated inFIGS. 4, 5 and 6A. The polishing step (b) is as illustrated in FIG. 6Band FIG. 7A. The film attaching step (c) is as illustrated in FIG. 6Cand FIG. 7B. The cutting step (d) is as illustrated in FIG. 7B and FIG.7C.

Prior to the step of attaching the glass substrates together, a step ofdropping a liquid crystal composition on one of the glass substrates maybe added. Specifically, the step of dropping is as illustrated in FIG. 4and FIG. 5. This makes the manufacturing time shorter than in the caseof vacuum-injecting the liquid crystal composition.

Besides, following the cutting step, a step of connecting the glasssubstrate, on which no film is disposed, to an external electrodeterminal may be added. Furthermore, following the step of connection tothe external electrode terminal, a step of attaching another film on theglass substrate may be added.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.At the stage of practicing the invention, various modifications andalterations may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The embodiments may properly be combined and practiced, ifpossible. In this case, advantages are obtained by the combinations.

As has been described above, the present invention can provide a displayapparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, which can achieve furtherreduction in thickness while maintaining display performance. Inaddition, the invention can provide a display apparatus and amanufacturing method thereof, which can achieve further reduction inthickness while having high durability.

1. A display apparatus comprising: a plurality of display pixel sectionson a major surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate has a glasssubstrate and a polarizer plate that is disposed to extend to an endpart of the glass substrate on another major surface of the substrate,and has a thickness greater than a thickness of the glass substrate, andthe glass substrate has a thickness that permits bending of the displayapparatus, wherein the display apparatus is configured to be bendablewith a radius of curvature of 200 mm or less.
 2. The display apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the glass substrate is0.15 mm or less.
 3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe thickness of the polarizer plate is 0.5 mm or less.
 4. The displayapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display pixel sectionincludes a switch element near an intersection of a signal line and ascan line that are disposed to be substantially perpendicular to eachother on the glass substrate, and the switch element is composed of athin film transistor including a polysilicon film.
 5. The displayapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display apparatus includes:a signal line drive circuit on the glass substrate and configured tosupply a drive signal to the signal line; and a scan line drive circuiton the glass substrate and configured to supply a drive signal to thescan line.
 6. The display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein thesignal line drive circuit and the scan line drive circuit are eachcomposed of thin film transistors including a polysilicon film.